Reflex Labels is a rapidly expanding UK-headquartered global provider of quality labels and packaging. Reflex opened its Australian operation in 2022. As the largest label printing group in the UK, Reflex continues to demonstrate its commitment to delivering quality labels to a variety of clients and has invested in a 3rd SCREEN Truepress LABEL 350UV SAI-S digital inkjet press within the group.
Reflex Group's third Screen L350 label press, at its Grimbsby UK site
Reflex Labels has consistently expanded both within the UK and internationally with their drive to continually invest in the latest label printing solutions. This year alone, the company has allocated £14 million (circa AUD$28 million) toward upgrading its equipment, ensuring their clients continue to receive top-quality labels affordably and with fast delivery times.
“We are constantly looking for ways to provide the best solutions for our clients,” says Ian Kendall, CEO of Reflex Labels. “Our investment in three Screen digital label presses is about more than just buying new equipment; it’s expanding our ability to deliver exceptional labels that meet our clients’ needs in terms of quality and turnaround times. To do that we needed a reliable partner with a reliable digital printing press.”
Australia recognised
Reflex Labels’ relationship with Screen formally began after an acquisition of an Australian company already using a Truepress 
The Screen L350UV-SAI , available in 4 to 7 coloursL350UV press . During the transition, Ian Kendall inquired about familiar downtime issue they were having with other digital equipment and was surprised to learn that breakdowns with the Screen machine were practically non-existent. This discovery confirmed his decision to invest in Screen digital label solutions with a new inkjet label press in the UK.
Following the success of their first two Screen L350UV presses, Reflex Labels increasingly needed to print high-opacity whites unto clear plastic substrates, while the current Screen presses were consistently producing white optical density for solid coverage on transparent films comparable to analogue printing. Rather than moving the orders, or the current press, the Reflex team decided to invest in a third press and so boosted production and profitability - all while delivering even better opaque whites.
Symbiosis of analogue and digital
For Reflex Labels, this investment wasn’t about replacing analogue equipment with digital, but about using both technologies in a complementary manner, giving them the flexibility to choose the best printing process for each job.
Often, they will receive an initial order from a new client of around 20,000 labels. For runs that size, the Screen L350UV SAI-S is perfect. It delivers the quality they expect, fast, and with minimal human intervention. The customer will see the labels, and impressed with the speed and turnaround times, will expand their next order to, say 2 million - a quantity more suitable for traditional analogue printing methods.
It’s during the transition between different printing methods where Reflex Label’s own experts excel. When shifting from digital to analogue, it’s essential to have skilled and knowledgeable people to ensure the designs and the colours stay exactly the same.
Kendall notes: “That’s massive part of what we do. Our aim is to make the same beautiful labels, and we have a massive army of experts to guarantee and maintain our colour management. Regardless of what printing method we use nothing leaves our facilities with a delta E reading of more than two, and that takes a lot of skill, dedication, and investments in the right technology.”
Exceeding expectations
As Reflex Labels continues to expand and innovate, the investment in Screen digital inkjet presses ensures that they remain at the forefront of the label printing industry: their printing process interchangeability providing clients with unmatched quality, speed, and reliability.
“It’s about meeting and exceeding expectations,” Kendall concludes. “The excellent print quality allows us to match and exceed client expectations while still being a robust piece of hardware. For other digital technologies you rarely put just one unit in (at a single site). You usually need to install a second label press for when the other goes down. In locations where we have a Screen equipment, that’s not an issue - it just works. It meets or exceeds our expectations, which lets us focus on growing our business.”
Reflex Group was formed in 2002 and now has 25 locations, 800 employees in six countries, including its Campbellfield, Victoria, Australian site.
Screen label and packaging presses are sold through Jet Technologies in Australia and Indonesia.
